Poetry can help increase confidence and emotional balance in students. A recent study noted, "Non-traditional students entering nursing programmes at university often experience difficulties with the academic literacy requirements of their courses, in particular academic and reflective writing. Levels of student anxiety may also be affected by other issues including the pressures of managing work, family and study commitments."

A university based in the South East of England studied 25 Health Sciences students and found, ."the experience of writing poetry challenging at first, but ultimately rewarding. Compared with writing more formal academic reflections, many students valued the opportunity to express their emotions and experiences more freely. Analysis of the student poems also revealed a rich bank of data relating to key professional themes and students' lived experiences."

"Poetry writing helps students to develop writing craft and reflective skills. It encourages students to articulate often complex emotions associated with their professional worlds, thereby providing invaluable insights into the everyday lives of healthcare workers."

- Cronin, C. and C. Hawthorne (2019). "'Poetry in motion' a place in the classroom: Using poetry to develop writing confidence and reflective skills." Nurse Educ Today 76: 73-77.

The Poetry Posse 2019 The Year of the Poet project was the brain-child of Jamie Bond and William S. Peters, Sr. The original vision was to commit themselves to writing and publishing a book a month for the year of 2014. In further discussion the vision expanded to include the other Gifted & Talented Writers you see below. The objective is to bring the Poetry Community together with the various cross demographic representations found in Gender, Religion, Geography, Culture and Ethnicity. We hope you enjoy the myriad of perspectives represented here. Thank You, Inner Child Press International.

Gail Weston Shazor. This is a creative promise ~ my pen will speak to and for the world. Enamored with letters and respectful of their power, I have been writing for most of my life. A mother, daughter, sister and grandmother I give what I have been given, greatfilledly. Author of An Overstanding of an Imperfect Love & Notes from the Blue Roof Lies My Grandfathers Told Me available at Inner Child Press.www.facebook.com/gailwestonshazorwww.innerchildpress.com/gail-weston-shazornavypoet1@gmail.com

Albert ‘Infinite’ Carrasco. I'm a project life philanthropist, I speak about the non ethical treatment of poor ghetto people. Why? My family was their equal, my great grandmother and great grandfather was poor, my grandmother and grandfather, my mother and father, poverty to my family was a sequel, a traditional Inheritance of the subliminal. I paid attention to the decades of regression, i tried to make change, but when I came to the fork in the road and looked at the signs that read wrong < > right, I chose the left, the wrong direction, because of street life interactions a lot around me met death or incarceration. I failed myself and others. I regret my decisions, I can't reincarnate dead men, but I can give written visions in laymens. I'm back at that fork in the road, instead of it saying wrong or right, I changed it, now it says dead men < > life. Infinite poetry @lulu.com Alcarrasco2 on YouTube Infinite the poet on reverbnation Infinite Poetry http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/al-infinitecarrasco/infinite-poetry/paperback/product-21040240.html

Joseph L Paire’ aka Joe DaVerbal Minddancer is a quiet man, born in a time where civil liberties were a walk on thin ice. He's been a victim of his own shyness often sidelined in his own quest for love. He became the observer, charting life's path. Taking note of the why, people do what they do. His writings oft times strike a cord with the dormant strings of the reader. His pen the rosined bow drawn across the mind. He comes full-frontal or in the subtlest way, always expressing in a way that stimulate the senses. www.facebook.com/joe.minddancer

Caroline 'Ceri Naz' Nazareno born in Anda, Pangasinan known as a ‘poet of peace and friendship’, is a multi-awarded poet, journalist, editor, publicist, linguist, educator, and women’s advocate. Graduated cum laude with the degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education, specialized in General Science at Pangasinan State University. Ceri have been a voracious researcher in various arts, science and literature. She volunteered in Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society, TELUS World Science, Vancouver Art Gallery, and Vancouver Aquarium. She was privileged to be chosen as one of the Directors of Writers Capital International Foundation ( WCIF ), Member of the Poetry Posse, one of the Board of Directors of Galaktika ATUNIS Magazine based in Albania; the World Poetry Canada and International Director to Philippines; Global Citizen’s Initiatives Member, Association for Women’s rights in Development ( AWID ) and Anacbanua. She has been a 4th Placer in World Union of Poets Poetry Prize 2016, Writers International NetworkCanada ‘’Amazing Poet 2015’’, The Frang Bardhi Literary Prize 2014 (Albania), the sair-gazeteci or Poet-Journalist Award 2014 (Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey) and World Poetry Empowered Poet 2013 (Vancouver, Canada).

Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo is a multi-awarded and an Internationally-Published Contemporary Author/Poet and a Professional Writer / Creative Writer / Feature Writer / Journalist / Travel Writer from the Philippines. She has 2 published books, "Seasons of Emotions" (UK) and "Inner Reflections of the Muse", (USA). Elizabeth is also a coauthor to more than 60 international anthologies in the USA, Canada, UK, Romania, India. She is a Contributing Editor of Inner Child Magazine, USA and an Advisory Board Member of Reflection Magazine, an international literary magazine. She is a member of the American Authors Association (AAA) and PEN International. Web links: Facebook Fan Page https://free.facebook.com/ElizabethEsguerraCastillo Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethCastillo

Tzemin Ition Tsai (蔡澤民博士) was born in Taiwan, Republic of China, in 1957. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and two Masters of Science in Applied Mathematics and Chemical Engineering. He is an associate professor at the Asia University (Taiwan), editor of “Reading, Writing and Teaching” academic text. He also writes the long-term columns for Chinese Language Monthly in Taiwan. He is a scholar with a wide range of expertise, while maintaining a common and positive interest in science, engineering and literature member. He has won many national literary awards. His literary works have been anthologized and published in books, journals, and newspapers in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Ashok K. Bhargava is a poet, writer, community activist, public speaker, management consultant and a keen photographer. Based in Vancouver, he has published several collections of his poems: Riding the Tide, Mirror of Dreams, A Kernel of Truth, Skipping Stones, Half Open Door and Lost in the Morning Calm. His poetry has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Ashok is a Poet Laureate and poet ambassador to Japan, Korea and India. He is founder of WIN: Writers International Network Canada. Its main objective is to inspire, encourage, promote and recognize writers of diverse genres, artists and community leaders. He has received many accolades including Nehru Humanitarian Award for his leadership of Writers International Network Canada, Poets without Borders Peace Award for his journeys across the globe to celebrate peace and to create alliances with poets, and Kalidasa Award for creative writings.

Shareef Abdur-Rasheed, AKA Zakir Flo was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His education includes Brooklyn College, Suffolk County Community College and Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He is a Veteran of the Viet Nam era, where in 1969 he reverted to his now reverently embraced Islamic Faith. He is very active in the Islamic community and beyond with his teachings, activism and his humanity. Shareef’s spiritual expression comes through the persona of "Zakir Flo" . Zakir is Arabic for "To remind". Never silent, Shareef Abdur-Rasheed is always dropping science, love, consciousness and signs of the time in rhyme. Shareef is the Patriarch of the Abdur-Rasheed Family with 9 Children (6 Sons and 3 Daughters) and 41 Grandchildren (24 Boys and 17 Girls). For more information about Shareef, visit his personal FaceBook Page at : https://www.facebook.com/shareef.abdurrasheed1 https://zakirflo.wordpress.com

Kimberly Burnham. Find yourself in the pattern. As a 28-year-old photographer, Kimberly Burnham appreciated beauty. Then an ophthalmologist diagnosed her with a genetic eye condition saying, "Consider life, if you become blind." She discovered a healing path with insight, magnificence, and vision. Today, 33 years later, a poet and neurosciences expert with a PhD in Integrative Medicine, Kimberly's life mission is to change the global face of brain health. Using health coaching, Reiki, Matrix Energetics, craniosacral therapy, acupressure, and energy medicine, she supports people in their healing from brain, nervous system, and chronic pain issues. As managing editor of Inner Child Magazine, Kimberly's 2019 project is peace, language, and visionary poetry with her recently published book, Awakenings: Peace Dictionary, Language and the Mind, a Daily Brain Health Program. http://www.NerveWhisperer.Solutions https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyburnham

Jackie Davis Allen, otherwise known as Jacqueline D. Allen or Jackie Allen, grew up in the Cumberland Mountains of Appalachia. As the next eldest daughter of a coal miner father and a stay at home mother, she was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. Her siblings, in their own right, are accomplished, though she is the only one, to date, that has discovered the gift of writing. Graduating from Radford University, with a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Education, she taught in both public and private schools. For over a decade she taught private art classes to children both in her home and at a local Art and Framing Shop where she also sold her original soft sculptured Victorian dolls and original christening gowns. She resides in northern Virginia with her husband, taking much needed get-aways to their mountain home near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place that evokes memories of days spent growing up in the Appalachian Mountains. A lover of hats, she has worn many. Following marriage to her college sweetheart, and as wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, tutor, artist, writer, poet and crafter, she is a lover of art and antiques, surrounding herself, always, with books, seeking to learn more. In 2015 she authored Looking for Rainbows, Poetry, Prose and Art, and in 2017, Dark Side of the Moon. Both books of mostly narrative poetry were published by Inner Child Press and were edited by hulya n. yilmaz.http://www.innerchildpress.com/jackie-davis-allen.phpjackiedavisallen.com

Teresa E. Gallion was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Illinois at the age of 15. She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Illinois Chicago and received her master’s degree in Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She retired from New Mexico state government in 2012. She moved to New Mexico in 1987. While writing sporadically for many years, in 1998 she started reading her work in the local Albuquerque poetry community. She has been a featured reader at local coffee houses, bookstores, art galleries, museums, libraries, Outpost Performance Space, the Route 66 Festival in 2001 and the State of Oklahoma’s Poetry Festival in Cheyenne, Oklahoma in 2004. She occasionally hosts an open mic. Teresa’s work is published in numerous Journals and anthologies. She has two CDs: On the Wings of the Wind and Poems from Chasing Light. She has published three books: Walking Sacred Ground, Contemplation in the High Desert and Chasing Light. Chasing Light was a finalist in the 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. The surreal high desert landscape and her personal spiritual journey influence the writing of this Albuquerque poet. When she is not writing, she is committed to hiking the enchanted landscapes of New Mexico. You may preview her work at http://bit.ly/1aIVPNq or http://bit.ly/13IMLGh

Hulya N. Yilmaz. A retired Liberal Arts professor, hülya n. yılmaz [sic] is Co-Chair and Director of Editing Services at Inner Child Press International, and a literary translator. Her poetry has been published in an excess of sixty anthologies of global endeavors. Two of her poems are permanently installed in TelePoem Booth, a nation-wide public art exhibition in the U.S. She has shared her work in Kosovo, Canada, Jordan and Tunisia. hülya has been honored with a 2018 WIN Award of British Colombia, Canada. She is presently working on three poetry books and a short-story collection. hülya finds it vital for everyone to understand a deeper sense of self and writes creatively to attain a comprehensive awareness for and development of our humanity. hülya n. yılmaz, Ph.D. Writing Web Site hulyanyilmaz.com Editing Web Site hulyasfreelancing.com

Alicja Maria Kuberska. Awarded Polish poetess, novelist, journalist, editor. She was born in 1960, in Świebodzin, Poland. She now lives in Inowrocław, Poland. In 2011 she published her first volume of poems entitled: “The Glass Reality”. Her second volume “Analysis of Feelings”, was published in 2012. The third collection “Moments” was published in English in 2014, both in Poland and in the USA. In 2014, she also published the novel - “Virtual roses” and volume of poems “On the border of dream”. Next year her volume entitled “Girl in the Mirror” was published in the UK and “Love me” , “(Not )my poem” in the USA. In 2015 she also edited anthology entitled “The Other Side of the Screen”. In 2016 she edited two volumes: “Taste of Love” (USA), “Thief of Dreams” ( Poland) and international anthology entitled “ Love is like Air” (USA). In 2017 she published volume entitled “View from the window” (Poland). She also edits series of anthologies entitled “Metaphor of Contemporary” (Poland) Her poems have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines in Poland, the USA, the UK, Albania, Belgium, Chile, Spain, Israel, Canada, India, Italy, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic, South Korea and Australia. She was a featured poet of New Mirage Journal ( USA) in the summer of 2011. Alicja Kuberska is a member of the Polish Writers Associations in Warsaw, Poland and IWA Bogdani, Albania. She is also a member of directors’ board of Soflay Literature Foundation.

Swapna Behera is a bilingual contemporary poet, author, translator and editor from Odisha, India .She was a teacher from 1984 to 2015 . Her stories, poems and articles are widely published in National and International journals, and ezines, and are translated into different national and International languages. She has penned four books. She was conferred upon the Prestigious International Poesis Award of Honor at the 2nd Bharat Award for Literature as Jury in 2015, The Enchanting Muse Award in India World Poetree Festival 2017, World Icon of Peace Award in 2017, and the Pentasi B World Fellow Poet in 2017.. She is the recipient of Gold Cross Of Wisdom Award ,the medal for The Best Teachers of the World from World Union of Poets in 2018, and The LIfe time Achievement Award ,The Best Planner Award, The Sahitya Shiromani Award, ATAL BiHARI BAJPAYEE AWARD 2018, Ambassador De Literature Award 2018 .She is the Ambassador of Humanity by Hafrikan Prince Art World Africa 2018 and an official member of World Nation’s Writers Union ,Kazakhstan2018. At present she is the manager at Large, Planner and Columnist of The Literati, the administrator of several poetic groups ,the member of the Special Council of Five of World Union of Poets and the Cultural Ambassador of Inner Child Press U.S.

Eliza Segiet. After earning a Master's Degree in Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Krakaw, Poland, Eliza Segiet proceeded with her post-graduate studies in the fields of Cultural Knowledge, Penal Revenue and Economic Criminal Law, Arts and Literature and Film and Television Production in the Polish city, Lodz. With specific regard to her creative writings, the author describes herself as being torn in her passion for engaging in two literary genres: Poetry and Drama. A similar dichotomy from within is reflected on Segiet’s own words about her true nature: She likes to look at the clouds, but she keeps both of her feet set firmly on the ground. The author describes her worldview as being in harmony with that of Arthur Schopenhauer: "Ordinary people merely think how they shall 'spend' their time; a man of talent tries to 'use' it".

William S. Peters, Sr. Bill’s writing career spans a period of over 50 years. Being first Published in 1972, Bill has since went on to Author in excess of 40 additional Volumes of Poetry, Short Stories, etc., expressing his thoughts on matters of the Heart, Spirit, Consciousness and Humanity. His primary focus is that of Love, Peace and Understanding! Bill says . . . I have always likened Life to that of a Garden. So, for me, Life is simply about the Seeds we Sow and Nourish. All things we “Think and Do”, will “Be” Cause and eventually manifest itself to being an “Effect” within our own personal “Existences” and “Experiences” . . . whether it be Fruit, Flowers, Weeds or Barren Landscapes! Bill highly regards the Fruits of his Labor and wishes that everyone would thus go on to plant “Lovely” Seeds on “Good Ground” in their own Gardens of Life! to connect with Bill, he is all things Inner Child www.iaminnerchild.com Personal Web Site www.iamjustbill.com

"Poetic autoethnography provides a research methodology to explore yoga as a mind-body intervention that creates sanctuary. Using this qualitative method and retrieving data from my personal journals, daily workout journals, experiences as a lesbian-identified participant in yoga classes, and yoga instructor, I turn the research lens on myself in order to examine my sociological life story. At a critical time in my life when I was struggling with the fragmentation, anxiety, and despair resulting from dealing with homophobia in a heteronormative world, yoga provided sanctuary for me. My yoga practice increased my self-efficacy, providing transferable techniques for finding refuge within myself, irrespective of the adversity I was facing in my life. Places of sanctuary are critical for members of minority groups who often face marginalization and oppression, which compromise their well-being." - Myers, K. (2017). "Yoga as Sanctuary: A Valuable Mind-Body Intervention for the Lesbian Community." Int J Yoga Therap 27(1): 15-24. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29131739

The Poetry Posse 2019 The Year of the Poet project was the brain-child of Jamie Bond and William S. Peters, Sr. The original vision was to commit themselves to writing and publishing a book a month for the year of 2014. In further discussion the vision expanded to include the other Gifted & Talented Writers you see below. The objective is to bring the Poetry Community together with the various cross demographic representations found in Gender, Religion, Geography, Culture and Ethnicity. We hope you enjoy the myriad of perspectives represented here. Thank You, Inner Child Press International.

Gail Weston Shazor. This is a creative promise ~ my pen will speak to and for the world. Enamored with letters and respectful of their power, I have been writing for most of my life. A mother, daughter, sister and grandmother I give what I have been given, greatfilledly. Author of "An Overstanding of an Imperfect Love" & Notes from the Blue Roof Lies My Grandfathers Told Me available at Inner Child Press.

Albert ‘Infinite’ Carrasco. I'm a project life philanthropist, I speak about the non ethical treatment of poor ghetto people. Why? My family was their equal, my great grandmother and great grandfather was poor, my grandmother and grandfather, my mother and father, poverty to my family was a sequel, a traditional Inheritance of the subliminal. I paid attention to the decades of regression, i tried to make change, but when I came to the fork in the road and looked at the signs that read wrong < > right, I chose the left, the wrong direction, because of street life interactions a lot around me met death or incarceration. I failed myself and others. I regret my decisions, I can't reincarnate dead men, but I can give written visions in laymens. I'm back at that fork in the road, instead of it saying wrong or right, I changed it, now it says dead men < > life. Infinite poetry @lulu.com Alcarrasco2 on YouTube Infinite the poet on reverbnation Infinite Poetry http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/al-infinitecarrasco/infinite-poetry/paperback/product-21040240.html

Joseph L Paire’ aka Joe DaVerbal Minddancer is a quiet man, born in a time where civil liberties were a walk on thin ice. He's been a victim of his own shyness often sidelined in his own quest for love. He became the observer, charting life's path. Taking note of the why, people do what they do. His writings oft times strike a cord with the dormant strings of the reader. His pen the rosined bow drawn across the mind. He comes full-frontal or in the subtlest way, always expressing in a way that stimulate the senses. www.facebook.com/joe.minddancer

Caroline 'Ceri Naz' Nazareno born in Anda, Pangasinan known as a ‘poet of peace and friendship’, is a multi-awarded poet, journalist, editor, publicist, linguist, educator, and women’s advocate. Graduated cum laude with the degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education, specialized in General Science at Pangasinan State University. Ceri have been a voracious researcher in various arts, science and literature. She volunteered in Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society, TELUS World Science, Vancouver Art Gallery, and Vancouver Aquarium. She was privileged to be chosen as one of the Directors of Writers Capital International Foundation ( WCIF ), Member of the Poetry Posse, one of the Board of Directors of Galaktika ATUNIS Magazine based in Albania; the World Poetry Canada and International Director to Philippines; Global Citizen’s Initiatives Member, Association for Women’s rights in Development ( AWID ) and Anacbanua. She has been a 4th Placer in World Union of Poets Poetry Prize 2016, Writers International NetworkCanada ‘’Amazing Poet 2015’’, The Frang Bardhi Literary Prize 2014 (Albania), the sair-gazeteci or Poet-Journalist Award 2014 (Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey) and World Poetry Empowered Poet 2013 (Vancouver, Canada).

Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo is a multi-awarded and an Internationally-Published Contemporary Author/Poet and a Professional Writer / Creative Writer / Feature Writer / Journalist / Travel Writer from the Philippines. She has 2 published books, "Seasons of Emotions" (UK) and "Inner Reflections of the Muse", (USA). Elizabeth is also a coauthor to more than 60 international anthologies in the USA, Canada, UK, Romania, India. She is a Contributing Editor of Inner Child Magazine, USA and an Advisory Board Member of Reflection Magazine, an international literary magazine. She is a member of the American Authors Association (AAA) and PEN International. Web links: Facebook Fan Page https://free.facebook.com/ElizabethEsguerraCastillo Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethCastillo

Tzemin Ition Tsai (蔡澤民博士) was born in Taiwan, Republic of China, in 1957. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and two Masters of Science in Applied Mathematics and Chemical Engineering. He is an associate professor at the Asia University (Taiwan), editor of “Reading, Writing and Teaching” academic text. He also writes the long-term columns for Chinese Language Monthly in Taiwan. He is a scholar with a wide range of expertise, while maintaining a common and positive interest in science, engineering and literature member. He has won many national literary awards. His literary works have been anthologized and published in books, journals, and newspapers in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Ashok K. Bhargava is a poet, writer, community activist, public speaker, management consultant and a keen photographer. Based in Vancouver, he has published several collections of his poems: Riding the Tide, Mirror of Dreams, A Kernel of Truth, Skipping Stones, Half Open Door and Lost in the Morning Calm. His poetry has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Ashok is a Poet Laureate and poet ambassador to Japan, Korea and India. He is founder of WIN: Writers International Network Canada. Its main objective is to inspire, encourage, promote and recognize writers of diverse genres, artists and community leaders. He has received many accolades including Nehru Humanitarian Award for his leadership of Writers International Network Canada, Poets without Borders Peace Award for his journeys across the globe to celebrate peace and to create alliances with poets, and Kalidasa Award for creative writings.

Shareef Abdur-Rasheed, AKA Zakir Flo was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His education includes Brooklyn College, Suffolk County Community College and Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He is a Veteran of the Viet Nam era, where in 1969 he reverted to his now reverently embraced Islamic Faith. He is very active in the Islamic community and beyond with his teachings, activism and his humanity. Shareef’s spiritual expression comes through the persona of "Zakir Flo" . Zakir is Arabic for "To remind". Never silent, Shareef Abdur-Rasheed is always dropping science, love, consciousness and signs of the time in rhyme. Shareef is the Patriarch of the Abdur-Rasheed Family with 9 Children (6 Sons and 3 Daughters) and 41 Grandchildren (24 Boys and 17 Girls). For more information about Shareef, visit his personal FaceBook Page at : https://www.facebook.com/shareef.abdurrasheed1 https://zakirflo.wordpress.com

Kimberly Burnham. Find yourself in the pattern. As a 28-year-old photographer, Kimberly Burnham appreciated beauty. Then an ophthalmologist diagnosed her with a genetic eye condition saying, "Consider life, if you become blind." She discovered a healing path with insight, magnificence, and vision. Today, 33 years later, a poet and neurosciences expert with a PhD in Integrative Medicine, Kimberly's life mission is to change the global face of brain health. Using health coaching, Reiki, Matrix Energetics, craniosacral therapy, acupressure, and energy medicine, she supports people in their healing from brain, nervous system, and chronic pain issues. As managing editor of Inner Child Magazine, Kimberly's 2019 project is peace, language, and visionary poetry with her recently published book, Awakenings: Peace Dictionary, Language and the Mind, a Daily Brain Health Program. http://www.NerveWhisperer.Solutionshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyburnham

Jackie Davis Allen, otherwise known as Jacqueline D. Allen or Jackie Allen, grew up in the Cumberland Mountains of Appalachia. As the next eldest daughter of a coal miner father and a stay at home mother, she was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. Her siblings, in their own right, are accomplished, though she is the only one, to date, that has discovered the gift of writing. Graduating from Radford University, with a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Education, she taught in both public and private schools. For over a decade she taught private art classes to children both in her home and at a local Art and Framing Shop where she also sold her original soft sculptured Victorian dolls and original christening gowns. She resides in northern Virginia with her husband, taking much needed get-aways to their mountain home near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place that evokes memories of days spent growing up in the Appalachian Mountains. A lover of hats, she has worn many. Following marriage to her college sweetheart, and as wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, tutor, artist, writer, poet and crafter, she is a lover of art and antiques, surrounding herself, always, with books, seeking to learn more. In 2015 she authored Looking for Rainbows, Poetry, Prose and Art, and in 2017, Dark Side of the Moon. Both books of mostly narrative poetry were published by Inner Child Press and were edited by hulya n. yilmaz.

Teresa E. Gallion was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Illinois at the age of 15. She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Illinois Chicago and received her master’s degree in Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She retired from New Mexico state government in 2012. She moved to New Mexico in 1987. While writing sporadically for many years, in 1998 she started reading her work in the local Albuquerque poetry community. She has been a featured reader at local coffee houses, bookstores, art galleries, museums, libraries, Outpost Performance Space, the Route 66 Festival in 2001 and the State of Oklahoma’s Poetry Festival in Cheyenne, Oklahoma in 2004. She occasionally hosts an open mic. Teresa’s work is published in numerous Journals and anthologies. She has two CDs: On the Wings of the Wind and Poems from Chasing Light. She has published three books: Walking Sacred Ground, Contemplation in the High Desert and Chasing Light. Chasing Light was a finalist in the 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. The surreal high desert landscape and her personal spiritual journey influence the writing of this Albuquerque poet. When she is not writing, she is committed to hiking the enchanted landscapes of New Mexico. You may preview her work at http://bit.ly/1aIVPNq or http://bit.ly/13IMLGh

Hulya N. Yilmaz. A retired Liberal Arts professor, hülya n. yılmaz [sic] is Co-Chair and Director of Editing Services at Inner Child Press International, and a literary translator. Her poetry has been published in an excess of sixty anthologies of global endeavors. Two of her poems are permanently installed in TelePoem Booth, a nation-wide public art exhibition in the U.S. She has shared her work in Kosovo, Canada, Jordan and Tunisia. hülya has been honored with a 2018 WIN Award of British Colombia, Canada. She is presently working on three poetry books and a short-story collection. hülya finds it vital for everyone to understand a deeper sense of self and writes creatively to attain a comprehensive awareness for and development of our humanity. hülya n. yılmaz, Ph.D. Writing Web Site hulyanyilmaz.com Editing Web Site hulyasfreelancing.com

Alicja Maria Kuberska. Awarded Polish poetess, novelist, journalist, editor. She was born in 1960, in Świebodzin, Poland. She now lives in Inowrocław, Poland. In 2011 she published her first volume of poems entitled: “The Glass Reality”. Her second volume “Analysis of Feelings”, was published in 2012. The third collection “Moments” was published in English in 2014, both in Poland and in the USA. In 2014, she also published the novel - “Virtual roses” and volume of poems “On the border of dream”. Next year her volume entitled “Girl in the Mirror” was published in the UK and “Love me” , “(Not )my poem” in the USA. In 2015 she also edited anthology entitled “The Other Side of the Screen”. In 2016 she edited two volumes: “Taste of Love” (USA), “Thief of Dreams” ( Poland) and international anthology entitled “ Love is like Air” (USA). In 2017 she published volume entitled “View from the window” (Poland). She also edits series of anthologies entitled “Metaphor of Contemporary” (Poland) Her poems have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines in Poland, the USA, the UK, Albania, Belgium, Chile, Spain, Israel, Canada, India, Italy, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic, South Korea and Australia. She was a featured poet of New Mirage Journal ( USA) in the summer of 2011. Alicja Kuberska is a member of the Polish Writers Associations in Warsaw, Poland and IWA Bogdani, Albania. She is also a member of directors’ board of Soflay Literature Foundation.

Swapna Behera is a bilingual contemporary poet, author, translator and editor from Odisha, India .She was a teacher from 1984 to 2015 . Her stories, poems and articles are widely published in National and International journals, and ezines, and are translated into different national and International languages. She has penned four books. She was conferred upon the Prestigious International Poesis Award of Honor at the 2nd Bharat Award for Literature as Jury in 2015, The Enchanting Muse Award in India World Poetree Festival 2017, World Icon of Peace Award in 2017, and the Pentasi B World Fellow Poet in 2017.. She is the recipient of Gold Cross Of Wisdom Award ,the medal for The Best Teachers of the World from World Union of Poets in 2018, and The LIfe time Achievement Award ,The Best Planner Award, The Sahitya Shiromani Award, ATAL BiHARI BAJPAYEE AWARD 2018, Ambassador De Literature Award 2018 .She is the Ambassador of Humanity by Hafrikan Prince Art World Africa 2018 and an official member of World Nation’s Writers Union ,Kazakhstan2018. At present she is the manager at Large, Planner and Columnist of The Literati, the administrator of several poetic groups ,the member of the Special Council of Five of World Union of Poets and the Cultural Ambassador of Inner Child Press U.S.

Eliza Segiet. After earning a Master's Degree in Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Krakaw, Poland, Eliza Segiet proceeded with her post-graduate studies in the fields of Cultural Knowledge, Penal Revenue and Economic Criminal Law, Arts and Literature and Film and Television Production in the Polish city, Lodz. With specific regard to her creative writings, the author describes herself as being torn in her passion for engaging in two literary genres: Poetry and Drama. A similar dichotomy from within is reflected on Segiet’s own words about her true nature: She likes to look at the clouds, but she keeps both of her feet set firmly on the ground. The author describes her worldview as being in harmony with that of Arthur Schopenhauer: "Ordinary people merely think how they shall 'spend' their time; a man of talent tries to 'use' it".

William S. Peters, Sr. Bill’s writing career spans a period of over 50 years. Being first Published in 1972, Bill has since went on to Author in excess of 40 additional Volumes of Poetry, Short Stories, etc., expressing his thoughts on matters of the Heart, Spirit, Consciousness and Humanity. His primary focus is that of Love, Peace and Understanding! Bill says . . . I have always likened Life to that of a Garden. So, for me, Life is simply about the Seeds we Sow and Nourish. All things we “Think and Do”, will “Be” Cause and eventually manifest itself to being an “Effect” within our own personal “Existences” and “Experiences” . . . whether it be Fruit, Flowers, Weeds or Barren Landscapes! Bill highly regards the Fruits of his Labor and wishes that everyone would thus go on to plant “Lovely” Seeds on “Good Ground” in their own Gardens of Life! to connect with Bill, he is all things Inner Child www.iaminnerchild.com Personal Web Site www.iamjustbill.com

We feel that our poetry creates understanding, improved relationships and international cooperation.

We would like to focus our poetry this year on indigenous languages, growing awareness of the value of linguistic and cultural diversity, learning from those who are different and appreciating our similarities.

The Inner Child Poetry Posse writes a volume of The Year of The Poet each month with different themes and would like to designate the indigenous languages as the theme for 2019 William S. Peters, Sr. is the founder and leader of the collective and many of us are award winning poets who have presented at International poetry events.

Here is a list of the Inner Child Press Poetry Posse Poets who have been involved over the years (the asterisk indicates how many years the person has been involved):

Each book features three guest poets from the International community and collective members are asked to write one poem directly related to the theme and two more on subjects of their choosing. The theme for 2019 has been designated to focus on indigenous languages in each of the following regions.

1. North American and Native Americans [Buy the Print Book or Download Free eBook]2. South American Indigenous peoples and Mesoamerica3. CaribbeanCaribbean4. AfricaCentral and West Africa5. AsiaSoutheast Asia and Maritime Asia6. ArcticCircumpolar7. AfricaHorn of Africa8. AsiaSouthwest Asia and the Middle East9. CaucasusCaucasus10. AfricaNile Valley and North Africa11. AsiaNorthern Asia, China, Japan, etc.12. AustraliaOceana

Light is a word and a symbol, a way of seeing and describing the world. Poems can incorporate the words for light and colors as if the pen is a paint brush creating an image that the readers modify for themselves, upon reading the words: light, dark, red, blue, shadow and sunlight. Light poems can describe what happens in the light and the darkness and the shadows, as well as illuminating a particular scene important to the poet. Light poems can be about physics and energy, the way the universe works and the sun shines and what the poet sees. Visual poetry can be a marriage of words and art each brightening the other. Visual poetry may also create visualizations, influencing the brain and what we think about as we read. Light is a word, a metaphor, and a way of seeing the community and opportunities around us.

Except from The Year of The Poet February 2018
​ Kinzeraba, The Holy Treasure

Observe a kernel of light
in darkness learn
goodness discovered within evil
live until death
fully ever
a role for human beings
in cosmic explosions

Growth in the world
two branches of olive
meeting across
four sides of the universe
draped in pure shimmering silk
the book of life
first to last pages flutter full

Great blessings rise up
all colors streaming
from light and water
comes expansive
life

Light

Switching on at work
darkest day just beginning
power gratitude

Paws & Hooves

Together paws and hooves
pounding
the frozen landscape
wearing a path
where they sprint
like a pack of wild ones

"Salaøm" is the word for peace in Ge'ez, the ancient written language of the Aksum people who are the focus of this New Year's volume of The Year of The Poet. The Aksum may be unfamiliar to many readers and poets, yet they are one of the great civilizations begun so brightly, a counterpoint to the Greek and Roman worlds of the 1st century C.E. The Aksum forged a trading link between the Mediterranean and the Asiatic spheres. Aksum's rise to power began with international relationships and shifts in trade.
They are a now a "lost" civilization whose descendents are African Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It is an age old story of a people who couldn't get along with their neighbors, were overrun, and pushed out into isolation. This shift set in motion the decline of their civilization.
Before the common era the Aksum Queen of Sheba is said to have birthed a Solomonic dynasty that ruled Ethiopia into the modern era. In the 4th Century C.E., King Ezana declared Aksum an Orthodox Christian state and tried to find peace with the neighboring Arabs and the Jews from Aksum's Beta Israel who read scriptures and prayers in Ge’ez. And for a time, salaøm walked beside shalom. These ancient Semitic people are the ancestors of some modern Ethiopians who moved to Israel in the 1970's.
Evidence of Aksum's greatness stands even today in the heart of ancient Ethiopia: monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs, and ancient castles—proof of a powerful African state wedged between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia. They commanded the ivory trade with Sudan and their fleets controlled much of the Red Sea trade. They probably thought they would always be great.
But the people couldn't find peace--salaøm, salaam, shalom—in the neighborhood, couldn't find a way to co-exist and so around the 10th Century C.E. they ceased to exist—forgotten. A thousand years have passed and what have we learned of peace, international exchange and fair trade?
The poets of Inner Child Press and the Poetry Posse seek to share in poetic words our lives, our glories, and challenges, always looking for a way to learn and contribute to a peacefully coexistence with our neighbors so that we can continue to thrive alongside all who walk this earth today.

Searching for Peace in Aksum

The first seven centuries
a common era
travelers and homebodies
greeted each other
in peace
winding through Aksum
where now walk the people of
Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen

Salaøm
peace in Ge'ez
the liturgical language of Aksum
now gone replaced
Amharic, Tigrigna, Orominga,
roll off the tongues
of modern peoples

Arabic (arb)—"Salām" (peace), "Salaam" / سلام from the S-L-M Semitic root, "Hudna" (peace, cease-fire) or "Suhl" (peace, reconciliation)—Middle East with 280 million native speakers in North Africa, the Mideast, Central Asia, and used in liturgical services around the world. Longing for Home

Deeply embedded in the human psyche
a longing for home
an innate hunger
buried deep in memories
a yearning for the best of what has been
the anticipation of what can
be desire for home
we remember
craving the landscape of dreams

More than a yearning for place
a pleasant memory or a dreamed of future
home is a state of being
of belonging
becoming strong
the deep need to be anchored
secure a restored past
drawn towards
a transformed, fulfilled future

Free Download at Inner Child Press and The Year of The Poet featuring Kimberly Burnham, the Nerve Whisperer, brain health expert, award winning poet, and poetry posse member

A found poem is a poem crafted from the words of another—a quote from someone famous or words found on a scrap of paper written by someone unknown to the poet. A found poem can be teased out of the words of a friend or a colleague, occasionally a child. Sometime the words are written out in the same order as they are found, sometimes the order is changed, fine tuned, or adjusted. The words are changed, made the poet's own by what is taken and what is left behind. Choices are made and that makes all the difference.

Einstein's Peace, a Found Poem

Learn from yesterday
peace cannot be kept by force
achieve by understanding

Live for today
look deep into nature
do not stop questioning

hope for tomorrow's
true intelligence
imagination
will take you everywhere

Martin Luther King's Daybreak of Peace, a Found Poem

Starless midnight of racism and war
in the silence of good people
come here on different ships

Change the system
justice, love, peace
become a reality
in the bright daybreak of peace
unconditional love
the final word

Walk in the light of creativity
stand at times of challenge
work for our freedom
in the same boat now

Virginia Woolf's Peace Poetry, a Found Poem

You cannot find peace
by avoiding life
in every secret of a writer's soul

Language and poetry
friends and beauty
riot and extravagance
laughter and anguish

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.
​These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."~Elizabeth Kubler Ross

Sonoma County Poet Laureate, “Maya Khosla is an evangelist for poetry and its ability to expand our understanding of our internal and external worlds. Her work is grounded in the intersection between the human and natural environment, and it is easily accessible to anyone who has the opportunity to hear or read it,”
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/entertainment/9276643-181/why-sonoma-county-poet-laureate

"Just over twenty years ago, I was lying in bed in so much physical pain that I begged to be allowed to kill myself. That I didn’t was in large part thanks to my love of poetry, and my mother.

She would sit by my bedside in the psychiatric hospital where I had been admitted for severe depression and recite poetry aloud. Some mothers and daughters are bound by a shared love of baking; my mother and I had always been united by poetry. I was a child again, lying in bed as she read to me. It turned out that all these years she had been keeping a book of snippets of poetry, prayer and anecdotes that had particularly struck her, entitled ‘Consolations’"

Poet-In-Residence Position​I am looking for guest blog opportunities and a position as poet-in-residence. My current project is writing dictionary poems using words in different languages for the English word "peace." You can read some of my poems on Poemhunter .As poet-in-residence I would write poems on different words in different languages and broadcast them throughout the social media blogosphere. Each poem would link back to your site where the word or language appeared.I would expect some sort of stipend and a six month to one year placement. Please contact me for details if your organization is interested in having a poet-in-residence to help get your message out. Nervewhisperer@gmial.com

Daily reminders are set up for the peace word of the day. [Put it on your phone}​Medical research indicates that learning a new language after age 50 or figuring out puzzles or singing, playing music and reading rhythmical poetry can help decrease the chances of Alzheimer's and dementia as well as improve brain plasticity and function.

This calendar is not a new language but is the language of peace or the words for peace in hundreds of different languages. It will take five years to learn or meditate on the 2000 different words for peace found here.

To learn the word for peace (one word a day) in every known language is perhaps a 20-year project but if you start with today's word it will bring you more inner peace, spread community peace and increase the sense of calm and tranquility throughout the world. Your brain health and pattern recognition skills will also benefit.

These exercises and poems are meant to decrease stress, increase conscious awareness and increase your ability to see the opportunities to grow and connect in the world around you.